Vienna Boys' Choir - 'Agnus Dei'

This recording is from a performance in 1998 celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Vienna Boys' Choir.

A Reagan Forum with Steve Forbes

A Reagan Forum with Steve Forbes on January 28, 2011.

For more information on the ongoing works of President Reagan's Foundation, please visit http://www.reaganfoundation.org

Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Angelic Doctor

From Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. is arguably the greatest theologian God has given to the Church. He is an incomparable philosopher and teacher, and a radiant light among the illustrious saints of the Order of Preachers.

To this gentle saint, however, there is a depth and holiness that is present yet often overlooked. When one peels off centuries of commentary and interpretation, the person and sanctity of this great saint emerge. So often Catholics and non-Catholics alike associate St. Thomas with a motionless placid-like spirituality. On the contrary - St. Thomas' spirituality was one of vitality and ardent longing for God. The question of his childhood: "what is God" was the throbbing force in his life, compelling him toward union with the Beloved.

His was a Eucharistic spirituality, evident in his hymns that were, in effect, love-poems to the Hidden God. And what zeal for souls - his entire life was given to the good of souls by the preaching of Truth.

The Angelic Doctor has much to teach us still, nearly 800 years after his death, by his writings, preaching and teaching. His title was "Master" in all these aspects.

We can also learn from him as "Master of the Spiritual Life." These are St. Thomas' most difficult lessons to learn, because he teaches by silence and humility, the watchwords of his spirituality.

Adoro te Devote

House GOP Considers Privatizing Medicare

From Fox News

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Months after they hammered Democrats for cutting Medicare, House Republicans are debating whether to relaunch their quest to privatize the health program for seniors.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is testing support for his idea to replace Medicare with a fixed payment to buy a private medical plan from a menu of coverage options.

Party leaders will determine if the so-called voucher plan will be part of the budget Republicans put forward in the spring.

"No decisions have been made on the details of our House GOP budget." Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. "There are a lot of ideas out there, and we're going to listen to our members and the American people."

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French Watchdog Says No to Same-Sex Marriage

France's law prohibiting gay marriage does not violate the constitution, the country's top constitutional watchdog ruled Friday, all but challenging parliament to debate overturning the ban.

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DeMint is Iowa Bound, Aide Hints at Presidential Run

Fox News has reported that an aide to Senator DeMint has  suggested that South Carolina's junior Senator is "open to a presidential run if none of the other contenders proves sufficiently popular - or conservative - enough."

It is also reported that Senator DeMint will visit Iowa on March 26.  DeMint plans to keynote a conference sponsored by Iowa Congressman Steve King.  Iowa, of course, is home to the first presidential preference caucuses.

Christianity the Last Bastion Against European Secularist ‘Totalitarianism’: Austrian Think Tank

From LifeSiteNews

By Hilary White

EU president Herman Von Rompuy

An Austrian think tank and non-governmental organization is warning that freedom of religious expression is “at risk” in Europe from secularist intolerance on the left. While Islamic extremists continue assaults on Christian communities in Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan and around the Middle East and Asia, restrictions on public expressions of religious belief by Christians are growing in Western Europe, the cradle of Christendom. 

 

“You cannot compare injustices here with the situation in, for example, North Korea, India or Pakistan,” observed Gudrun Kugler, a lawyer and director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe. “The Christians who are there in spite of fierce persecution are our great models.”  

Nevertheless, in Europe Christianity is hated because it is “the last obstacle to a new vision of secularity which is so politically correct that it verges on totalitarianism,” she said.

“Christians are increasingly marginalized and are appearing more often in courts over matters related to faith. So I think that we are heading for a bloodless persecution.”